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Jan. 19th, 2009 01:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daibhidcSaw an interesting schools programme today, part of the BBC's "Scotland's History" thing. It was part one of a two-parter about the Jacobite rebellion. The idea is they show two opposing viewpoints. This week's, "Ye Jacobites By Name" is about the arrogant Italian "Young Pretender" making an ill-advised attempt at usurption. Next week's "Charlie is My Darling", is about the dashing Scottish "Bonnie Prince Charlie" boldy trying to reclaim his throne. They're presented by different people, and the opening scene had them bickering, with a neutral presenter trying to keep order.
The interesting bit was how outrageous I found this guy's opinions. I actually have a lot of sympathy for this view of the rebellion. (I live in Culloden; it's hard to have a romantic view of a mass grave on your doorstep.) But when this guy started going on (and on) about the Stuarts being Catholic, I started thinking he was one step away from wearing a bowler hat and playing a flute. When he finished by calling the Duke of Cumberland the true hero of the rebellion, I was literally tense with irritation.
Obviously, this was intentional, and at the end the neutral presenter did say "Wasn't the Duke of Cumberland called the Butcher?" But I was surprised at how far it went. I don't think the programme makers agree with him; quite the reverse, in fact[1]. So I'll be interested to see if next week's show makes the Jacobite presenter just as obviously prejudiced, or tones it down a bit.
[1] When your presenter wears a Union Flag tie, and says "even in Scotland - or as I prefer to call it, North Britain", the message is quite clear - if you're a patriotic Scot, you disagree with him.
The interesting bit was how outrageous I found this guy's opinions. I actually have a lot of sympathy for this view of the rebellion. (I live in Culloden; it's hard to have a romantic view of a mass grave on your doorstep.) But when this guy started going on (and on) about the Stuarts being Catholic, I started thinking he was one step away from wearing a bowler hat and playing a flute. When he finished by calling the Duke of Cumberland the true hero of the rebellion, I was literally tense with irritation.
Obviously, this was intentional, and at the end the neutral presenter did say "Wasn't the Duke of Cumberland called the Butcher?" But I was surprised at how far it went. I don't think the programme makers agree with him; quite the reverse, in fact[1]. So I'll be interested to see if next week's show makes the Jacobite presenter just as obviously prejudiced, or tones it down a bit.
[1] When your presenter wears a Union Flag tie, and says "even in Scotland - or as I prefer to call it, North Britain", the message is quite clear - if you're a patriotic Scot, you disagree with him.
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Date: 2009-01-20 01:33 pm (UTC)Have you been watching "Britannia" with Nicholas Crane as well ?
It's about a book written in the reign of Elizabeth I by a chap called William Camden covering the whole of Britain and Camden seems to have coined the phrase "North Britain" to refer to Scotland, so you can blame him :-)